Australian researchers were surprised to find high concentrations of microplastics embedded in the seafloor along the southeast coast of Australia.

Scientists with the
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies sampled marine sediments at 42 locations from Adelaide to Sydney and discovered these tiny particles at every location, from busy city harbors to seemingly pristine locations.

On average the team found 3.4 items of microplastics per milliliter of sediment. The
highest concentration of microplastic pollution was from Bicheno, a fishing and beach town on Tasmania's east coast, with 12 microplastic filaments per milliliter of sediment. Results from the study was published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.

"Regardless of where we were, we found evidence of microplastics pretty much everywhere we looked," said marine biologist and lead researcher Scott Ling. "Even some very remote areas we found levels of microplastics up to more than 10 items of per milliliter of sediment."

Microplastics are created by the fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic in the ocean. The debris is also carried into the waters after getting sloughed off synthetic fabrics in the washing machine.

The research suggests that the issue of plastic pollution is spread throughout the marine environment.

"In other studies it is estimated that 70 percent of marine litter is expected to sink to the seafloor and enter marine sediments," Ling told Xinhua.

"But while the huge volume of plastic debris accumulating in the world's oceans and on beaches has received global attention, the amount of plastic accumulating on the seafloor is relatively unknown."

The study also suggests a high potential for microplastic ingestion.

"There are a lot of species that can consume plastics. Not only do we see larger animals being entangled in plastics but microplastics in particular can be ingested by a range of sea creatures," Ling said.

"Exactly how this impacts those populations of animals and the broader ecosystem is yet to be determined but the samples that we have taken the last 18 months are really a first step in showing that we have very high loads of plastics in the environment and therefore we really need to determine exactly what sort of impact this is having on this marine system."

Sixteen-year-old climate action leader Greta Thunberg stood alongside European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Thursday in Brussels as he indicated—after weeks of climate strikes around the world inspired by the Swedish teenager—that the European Union has heard the demands of young people and pledged more than $1 trillion over the next seven years to address the crisis of a rapidly heating planet.

In the financial period beginning in 2021, Juncker said, the EU will devote a quarter of its budget to solving the crisis.

A new study reveals the health risks posed by the making, use and disposal of plastics. Jeffrey Phelps / Getty Images

With eight million metric tons of plastic entering the world's oceans every year, there is growing concern about the proliferation of plastics in the environment. Despite this, surprisingly little is known about the full impact of plastic pollution on human health.

But a first-of-its-kind study released Tuesday sets out to change that. The study, Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, is especially groundbreaking because it looks at the health impacts of every stage in the life cycle of plastics, from the extraction of the fossil fuels that make them to their permanence in the environment. While previous studies have focused on particular products, manufacturing processes or moments in the creation and use of plastics, this study shows that plastics pose serious health risks at every stage in their production, use and disposal.